The NFL defensive player of the year emphasizes explosive single-arm pushing drills.
This story is part of Men's Health's Get NFL Strong package, a series of stories that explore the different kinds of physical and mental fitness it requires to succeed in the toughest sport on earth. Read all the stories here.
THERE ARE BONE-CRUSHING sacks that leave QBs eating turf. And then there’s what the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett did before halftime against the Colts last year, speeding past Indy turnstile (we mean offensive tackle) Blake Freeland, then shoving Gardner Minshew so hard he lost control of the football and ragdolled to the ground.
A play like this takes total-body athleticism. But the frenetic finish is all about upper body strength, which Garrett, a 6-4, 272-pound defensive end/force of nature, works hard to develop each offseason. He bench-presses 585 pounds (for two reps!), and it’s that raw upper-body strength that’s fueled many of his 88.5 career sacks, which he promises to one day tell his children all about. “The times I think about having kids, I think they’ll ask me ‘were you any good?’” he says. “And I’ll be like ‘turn on this one,’ and I’ll show them that game. I’ll be like ‘Your pop wasn’t too bad.’”
You can develop Garrett-level push power without bench-pressing all day, though. A Garrett sack (any sack, really) often starts with him pushing an opposing lineman backward. One of the best ways to develop that, says Garrett, is a basic landmine press, which blasts your shoulders, chest, and abs (see sidebar). You work one arm at a time, says Garrett, which is key to building real-world pushing power. “As every coach has told me from high school up, one arm is longer than two,” Garrett says. “(It’s about) being able to get that extension and pushing a guy either forward or across your body to create an opening to get to the quarterback.”
Developing single-arm push power also allows Garrett to capitalize on his core musculature too. Like a boxer twisting his torso to create extra power with each punch, Garrett understands how to powerfully use his abs and core to deliver extra oomph into helpless linemen and QBs. “The way my body is able to react and turn and counter the forces that are being applied to me helps me stay in my rush,” Garrett says.
That’s why Garrett loves moves like the plank kettlebell drag, which trains his abs to resist all rotation (and stealthily helps his core build rotational power too). Building regular core work into his routines gives him an advantage over most linemen, who he says are “pretty lax with their core.” (It’s also given Garrett an Adonis-level aesthetic rarely seen among the NFL’s beefiest heavyweights.)
“They can’t fight back while they’re mid-run,” he says. “Since I have a strong core, I am able to lean my shoulder into these guys and use my core to either turn or to fight back into them.” The end result: Plenty more Minshew moments, and highlights to share with his kids.
The Garrett Power-Up
Add these two moves to your core training at least once a week.
Kettlebell Plank Drag
Get in pushup position, a kettlebell just outside your right hand, abs and glutes tight. Without shifting your hips, grab the kettlebell with your left hand; drag it just outside your left hand. Reset in pushup position and repeat on the other side. (Garrett does this with 54-pound bells.) Do 3 sets of 8 to 10.
Landmine Rotation
Place one end of a barbell on the ground (in a towel). Put a weight plate on the other end. Kneel near the side with the weight plate, and hold the end of the barbell with both hands at your right hip. Press the barbell overhead with both hands; lower back to your hip. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10 per side. And keep it light, says Garrett. “It’s about making it smooth,” he says.
This story appears in the September-October 2024 issue of Men's Health.